Freezing temperatures brought on by the 'mini Beast from the East' just days before the start of spring could have serious consequences for wildlife, experts have said.

Snow and temperatures plunging to lows of -4C just before the vernal equinox will reduce the number of insects, creating a food shortage for birds and other animals.

Migratory birds, like the sand martin and the wheatear, which return to Britain this time of year after spending the winter in warmer climes, need nourishment after their long flights.

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge told the Guardian: 'There are also fears for ravens, tawny owls and blackbirds who have already begun to nest.'

Freezing temperatures brought on by the 'mini Beast from the East' just days before the start of spring could have serious consequences for wildlife, experts have said (pictured: daffodils in the snow in Epping, Essex, this morning)

Swathes of snow covering the country will reduce the insect population which migratory birds such as the sand martin (left) and the wheatear (right) rely on. These birds need nourishment after their long flights

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Lakes frozen over in subzero temperatures could also have a negative impact on frogs and other amphibians.

Earlier this month experts from the Woodland Trust also revealed that snow brought on by the original Beast from the East hit many early-blooming flowers.

Spring came very early this year, with one of the first signs of spring - hazel flowering in Southampton - being spotted in October, months before the average sighting of March 2.

Charlotte Armitage, citizen science officer for the Woodland Trust, told the Metro: ‘When we get prolonged mild periods as we have done recently, plants and wildlife are fooled into thinking the seasons are changing and start to become more active.

‘The danger with this is that when the weather turns as it has done this week, some species will suffer considerably.

‘While flowering plants will almost certainly flower again later in the season, frogspawn and insects in particular do not fare so well and this week’s snow will undoubtedly see them perish.'

Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said: 'There are also fears for ravens, tawny owls and blackbirds who have already begun to nest' (pictured: a motorist driving through deep snow in Teesdale, County Durham, yesterday)